Chapter 100, The White Lotus Society’s Blade Formation

Translator: StarReader

 

The discussion among Li Jiao, Yang Caizhi, and the others about whether to retreat or stay was interrupted. Su Chen heard an approaching crowd, his ears twitching as he whispered, “A group is coming. Dive into those reeds over there, lie flat, and don’t move!”

 

Zhang Tieniu, Yang Caizhi, and the others didn’t hear any footsteps but quickly obeyed, crawling into a thick patch of reeds like dogs.

 

Flat on their bellies, they cautiously parted the reeds to peer forward. Through the misty haze, they saw around thirty men in White Lotus Society attire, wielding curved blades. These brutes had beefy arms and rough, iron-hard skin, revealing them as elite external martial experts. Each wore a pale yellow talisman on their chest, emitting a golden glow that made them appear like radiant bronze statues.

 

Not far off stood nearly two hundred disciples in a defensive formation led by their group leader and protector. The White Lotus Society thugs sprinted through the swamp, spotting this gathering, and charged with battle cries.

 

“Invincible! Impenetrable!”

 

They moved as one, thirty men rolling like a tide, blades flashing like snowflakes. Their technique was clumsy yet devastating, covering ten yards and leaving nothing but carnage in their wake.

 

“White Lotus Society’s devils! Kill them!”

 

The leader of this small group and several Protectors, all peak first-rate experts, charged forward, their formidable sword energies slashing against the White Lotus thugs. However, they found themselves blocked by a weak yellow light emanating from the thugs’ bodies; blades couldn’t penetrate their defenses.

 

“They’re warded with devilish spells, impervious to blade and steel!” one cried.

 

“Can’t hold them back! Leader, retreat! Cover our leader’s escape!”

 

The White Lotus brutes trampled everything in their path, scores of axes sweeping across the ground. In an instant, limbs flew, and screams filled the air.

 

The small groups’ disciples tried to form a defensive line but crumbled instantly under the onslaught. In mere heartbeats, several Protectors were hacked apart by the whirling blades.

 

Their leader managed to escape, his robust True Qi shielding him from most blows. But the entire group was now doomed.

 

In just a few breaths, this near-two-hundred-strong group lay decimated. Their elite second-rate experts and Protector experts were wiped out in an instant.

 

The remaining hundred third-rate disciples, seeing their comrades’ fate, lost all will to fight and fled with their leader. A full-scale rout ensued.

 

The White Lotus thugs continued their relentless pursuit, carving up fleeing disciples like fresh meat.

 

“Golden Warrior Talisman?” Su Chen whispered from his hiding spot in the reeds, astonished by what he saw.

 

These first-rate brutes were adorned with talismans akin to the Golden Warrior Talisman, shielding all vital points. Yet, their golden light was faint and weak, clearly of inferior quality.

 

Under the amplification of these Golden Warrior Talismans, their power surged far beyond that of ordinary first-rate experts, even surpassing the peak of late first-rate. Against regular first-rate experts, they had a crushing advantage. Su Chen puzzled over how the White Lotus Society had come by so many inferior talismans to equip such a large group of ruffians. Could their founder also understand talisman crafting?

 

Watching from the safety of the reeds were Li Jiao, Zhang Tieniu, Yang Caizhi, Qin Huihui, and several other disciples. Their faces were etched with terror as they watched the brutal scene unfold. Some trembled, teeth chattering like castanets; others clasped hands over their mouths, afraid to make a sound lest they draw attention from the white-robed brutes.

 

Thirty first-rate experts had decimated a two-hundred-strong group in mere breaths. Not a single white-clad figure fell, nor was there even a scratch among them. It was a complete annihilation.

 

Yet, this wasn’t just any small group; it boasted several late first-rate experts and over twenty second-rate warriors, with the remainder at third-rate levels. Such power was significant in the Wu Region’s martial world.

 

Li Jiao and Yang Caizhi were merely mid-second-rate and late third-rate themselves, no match for even one of the white-clad warriors. Thankfully, the rampaging thugs didn’t notice their hiding disciples in the reeds.

 

“Please don’t see us!” prayed Yang Caizhi, prostrate on the ground, his fear so great that he soiled himself where he lay. His companions were too terrified themselves to laugh at him.

 

Zhang Tieniu, pale as a ghost, whispered, “Senior Sister Li… we should leave. Even if we all fought together, we’d still be no match for one of them, let alone thirty!”

 

Li Jiao agreed, “Yes! We retreat now, quietly. Stay together and find safety. Let’s not draw their attention.”

 

Then, Li Jiao’s countenance lost its color. Despite her firm resolve and considerable courage, she couldn’t maintain her ground at the sight of the gruesome scene sprawled out before her. She immediately retreated with her seven or eight disciples to the rear of the Northern Swamp.

 

At that moment, Su Chen quietly separated from their martial group, tailing the bloodthirsty White Lotus thugs.

 

…

 

Within the Northern Swamp, under the shroud of the devil mist, cries of battle echoed across a radius of over ten miles. Screams and wails were countless, as groups scattered in disarray, attempting to flee.

 

In mere moments, several hundred-strong martial groups crumbled under the White Lotus thugs’ onslaught, dispersing in terror.

 

Word spread quickly among the fleeing disciples, reaching other martial groups. Soon, all knew of the formidable White Lotus cultists, their invulnerable bodies marked by demonic talismans, sweeping through the swamp like a plague.

 

The White Lotus cult numbered only thirty, but they were first-rate experts, swift and relentless in their attacks. They targeted smaller groups, avoiding larger ones to ensure quick victories.

 

The Northern Swamp was shrouded in dense fog, making it difficult for martial groups to rally their elite forces quickly enough to counter the fast-moving White Lotus cultists. Before any significant resistance could be organized, the cultists would strike again, picking off groups one by one.

 

…

 

The allied main force, led by Daoist Han Shan, Li Shuo, Sun Baihong, and other Grandmasters, along with their disciples from various martial groups, halted in the center of the path.

 

Caravan Guards’ leader Li Shuo wore a stern, icy expression. His towering frame was clad in gleaming silver chainmail armor, gripping a long spear. He sat regally on his powerful steed, eyes scanning the surroundings, ears tuned to every whisper within a hundred yards.

 

Behind him, over a hundred Caravan Guard Elders, Leaders, and Protectors, and thousands of disciples stood in formation, weapons drawn, prepared for any White Lotus Society cultists that might emerge from the nearby reeds. Panic was nowhere to be seen. After all, with Wu Region’s Grandmaster Li Shuo at their helm, few experts could challenge him across the region.

 

Distantly, screams echoed from within the reeds, signaling a small group’s ambush by White Lotus Society cultivators. Losses were heavy.

 

Li Shuo’s brow furrowed.

 

Moments later, cries of battle neared the main force’s formation. A blood-soaked minor group leader, accompanied by about forty surviving disciples, fled to the main force’s vicinity.

 

“Daoist, Leader Li, it’s White Lotus thugs! Save our disciples!”

 

Before he finished, the leader collapsed, coughing up blood. His face was a mask of terror and desperation.

 

“What are the White Lotus thugs doing to make him so frightened?”

 

Fear rippled through the union’s disciples as they saw their fallen comrade. Another group of hundreds had been wiped out in mere heartbeats. Even this renowned expert, aided by over ten others, had succumbed to the cultists’ power.